Airwaves

by Brian Goslow

Twas four nights before Christmas and all through the town, the airwaves were rockin' with the Rock and Roll Party's holiday sounds. Be it R&B or soul, classic sounds by rockabilly queens and kings, there were enough Christmas tunes for every listener's stocking.

This Saturday, Fran Ritchie will once again be playing two hours of rock and roll Christmas tunes on his weekly Saturday Night Rock and Roll Party, which airs from 9 to 11 p.m. on WCUW (91.3 FM). This year's show will include tracks from the Phil Spector Christmas Album, selections from various Dr. Demento CDs, and holiday classics by Chuck Berry, Brenda Lee, and Bobby Helms. Ritchie also plans to spin should-be classics like the Holly Twins' "I Want Elvis for Christmas," the Trashmen's "Dancing with Santa," Jack Scott's "There's Trouble Brewin'," the Cadillacs' "Rudolph," and Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns' "Silent Night."

WHAT MAKES OUR EARS PERK UP while tuning the radio dial and how have those tastes changed in recent years? I asked myself those questions last week after previewing Boston Rock & Roll Anthology Volume 20/United States Rock & Roll Anthology Number 2 (Varulven). After an initial period of skepticism about the need for new music by the artists on the disc (many of whom had reached their height of popularity at the same time as former president Jimmy Carter), I found myself pleasantly surprised.

When the series started two decades ago, we had only begun to make our listening decisions based on genre and station format. If a song had an interesting groove or chorus, it didn't matter if it were punk, techno, rap, garage, or any of the dozens of subsequently developed radio formats.

Back in 1977, when Jon Macey led the Boston-based Fox Pass, you could still get airplay with an independently pressed 45 if it had a good sound or hook. The talent that produced the regional hit "I Believed" still exists on his latest effort, "Sail Away" (recorded under the moniker Macey's Parade on the anthology), but it's doubtful it'll ever get a fair airing. Neither will Willie Alexander's "Cause I'm Taking You to Bed." There are few stations with room for Alexander's infectious, smart-ass singing style to give him a chance to wrap new audiences around his finger. The same goes for tracks by Moulty and the Barbarians, Unnatural Axe, the Kenne Highland Clan, and the Varmints (featuring former Classic Ruins mentor Frank Rowe and Real Kid Billy Borgioli). It's a lot easier to just label it archaic and toss it in the box with all the other once- (if that) listened-to discs. Unfortunately, most people will miss this collection because they won't even be given the chance to know it exists. And for that, radio listeners are all the poorer.

WE RAN OUT OF SPACE last week to include Captain P.J.'s suggested stocking stuffers for 1997. Garage-rock fans should pick up the latest reissues in the Pebbles series (AIP). Pebbles Volume 9: Southern California Part 2 ("One more reason why Los Angeles was the center of the universe in 1965 to 1966.") includes the David, Standells, Starfires, Velvet Illusions, Nervous Breakdowns, and Second Helping (who included Kenny Loggins, "in his early days before he got totally dorked out"). Pebbles Volume 10 features the Bold from Northampton (playing a tribute to the Yardbirds), the Brouthers ("they're from Rye, New York, but sound like they're from Texas -- amazing!"), Mark V, the Gonn, and the Others, who hailed from Rhode Island. Happy holidays everyone, and lay off the eggnog!